In recent news, US justice officials filed various lawsuits accusing Google of profiting from users’ location data, despite the fact that the corporation had previously committed to protect user privacy across all of its services.
As a result of these lawsuits, Google may soon be barred from selling adverts based on the voluminous data obtained from users, where location is also a crucial factor. According to Karl Racine, a Washington attorney general:
“Google falsely led consumers to believe that changing their account and device settings would allow customers to protect their privacy.”
Attorneys from Indiana, Texas, and other parts of the United States have already brought similar charges against the internet giant. Google, on the other hand, stated:
“We have always built privacy features into our products and provided robust controls for location data. We will vigorously defend ourselves and set the record straight.”
Although Google promises to protect user privacy, authorities from the Department of Justice have said that the corporation used ‘dark patterns,’ or design techniques, to influence a user’s decision in ways that benefit the company. Todd Rokita, an Indiana attorney, added the following to this:
“Even a limited amount of location data, aggregated over time, can expose a person’s identity and routines.”
This includes political or religious convictions, income, and marital status, according to Rokita.
To read our blog on “It’s possible that Google will be forced to “Censor the Internet,”” click here.
